FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: 1)Federal affordability measures aim to ease pressure as Canadians ‘feel the pinch’; 2)(Updated) Carney says Canada not ‘taking notes’ from Americans as it prepares for trade talks; 3)Carney says the U.S. can’t dictate the terms of trade talks ahead of CUSMA review;4)Proposed power to search, seize mail not being extended to postal workers: minister; 5)Federal government needs more desk space as public servants return to office: PSPC
1)Federal affordability measures aim to ease pressure as Canadians ‘feel the pinch’
Courtesy Barrie360.com
By Staff, April 30, 2026
As Canadians continue to grapple with rising costs, Liberal MP Ruby Sahota says recent federal measures are designed to provide both immediate relief and longer-term stability – particularly as global pressures weigh heavily on household budgets.
Sahota addressed affordability concerns during a recent visit to Barrie 360, acknowledging what many residents in communities like Barrie are experiencing day-to-day.
“I think people are feeling the pinch,” she said, pointing to a range of federal initiatives introduced over the past year.
Among them: an income tax reduction affecting millions of Canadians, the removal of GST for first-time homebuyers, and a temporary reduction in fuel costs. The government’s decision to suspend part of the federal fuel excise tax is expected to lower gas prices by about 10 cents per litre through the summer.
Sahota said the timing is intentional, especially for commuters and families planning travel. “It’s important that people feel that this summer, as gas prices tend to go up… that we’re able to mitigate that effect that people feel.”
While a gas price drop is visible and immediate, other changes—like shifts in rental markets—can be harder to notice. Still, Sahota argues those trends are real.
“I think people are feeling the rents that have gone down,” she said, attributing that in part to changes in immigration levels and housing supply dynamics.
Global pressures, local impact
Much of the current economic strain, Sahota emphasized, is tied to factors beyond Canada’s control—including geopolitical tensions and trade uncertainty.
“These are global issues and impacts that we are facing,” she said, noting similarities with challenges in the United States and overseas markets.
That reality also limits how much control governments have over essentials like food prices. “We’re a capitalist country. We don’t set the prices for the grocery store,” Sahota said. However, she pointed to efforts to strengthen supply chains and invest in domestic food production as part of a broader strategy.
In the short term, relief is coming through direct payments. A one-time grocery benefit top-up is set to arrive June 5, followed by ongoing support. Sahota said this is intended as a “stopgap measure really while we work on long-term solutions.”
Despite calls for deeper or extended tax cuts, Sahota acknowledged that government support has limits.
“It’s not a bottomless pit,” she said, adding that the government is reviewing spending and “finding efficiencies” while trying to maintain support programs.
She also pointed to Canada’s fiscal position relative to other G7 nations as a reason for cautious optimism, noting international assessments that place the country in a comparatively strong position.
Still, for many households, the focus remains on everyday affordability – from groceries to gas to housing. Sahota said the government’s approach is to respond in stages, offering immediate help while working toward structural fixes.
“That’s why we’re making these announcements,” she said. “That’s why we want to give the groceries and essentials benefits… while we figure out long-term solutions.”
2)(Updated) Carney says Canada not ‘taking notes’ from Americans as it prepares for trade talks
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Kyle Duggan, April 23, 2026.
Canada is not just sitting back “taking notes” or “instructions” from the Americans on how to go about trade talks after White House officials complained publicly about trade irritants, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday.
The prime minister said the United States has raised most of the issues on bilateral trade but he’s focused on eliminating the American tariffs gripping key sectors of the Canadian economy.
“You know what’s an irritant? Fifty per cent tariff on steel, 50 per cent tariff on aluminum, 25 per cent tariff on automobiles, all the tariffs on forest products,” Carney said during an exchange with reporters in Ottawa on Thursday.
“Those are more than irritants. Those are violations of our trade deal.”
Carney also said he had never heard of any sort of “entry fee” required for Canada to enter negotiations with the White House to renew the continental free trade pact.
A Radio-Canada report on Wednesday said the Americans are demanding concessions from Canada as a precondition for starting negotiations on the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on trade, better known as CUSMA.
United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a congressional committee Wednesday the White House is pressing for “changes” to Canadian trade practices.
Greer warned of possible trade “enforcement action” against Canada if American alcohol does not return to liquor store shelves here.
Carney noted it’s up to the provinces to decide whether to return American alcohol to store shelves, and that they only removed the products in the first place in response to President Donald Trump’s blistering tariffs. Alberta and Saskatchewan have since restarted U.S. liquor imports, while other provinces have not.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford promptly dug in his heels on Wednesday, saying American alcohol will “only go back on shelves when the U.S. removes its tariffs.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre downplayed the question of what to do with liquor stores not stocking American booze, arguing the bigger picture on bilateral trade matters more.
“I don’t think we need to spend three or four days debating whether we should drink bourbon or not. I think we should discuss whether 2.6 million Canadians are going to have their jobs,” Poilievre told reporters in Ottawa on Thursday.
“The way to get those jobs secured is to get a tariff-free trade deal with the U.S.”
The Conservative leader said Carney should not “squander any more leverage” after making “a series of upfront concessions” to the White House.
Janice Charette, Canada’s chief trade negotiator, said on Tuesday Canada has already made some significant concessions by dropping the digital services tax, issuing millions in refunds to tech companies and ending retaliatory tariffs.
She said her mandate is to protect the “fundamentals” in the existing trade pact and seek relief from U.S. tariffs, but warned it’s not clear Canada will return to “the beautiful tariff-free existence we had.”
Carney indicated Canada may be prepared to wait out the Americans as his government works to shore up the domestic economy and diversify its trading partners.
“We’re ready to go into detailed negotiations. We’re also ready to wait, if that’s what has to happen,” Carney said.
Canada’s former top trade negotiator Steve Verheul said earlier this month Canada is in a “good position” heading into talks to renew CUSMA and that “time is on our side” because pressures on the U.S. will only “increase over time.”
“It’s really a question of Canada being prepared to wait this out a bit,” Verheul said on April 8.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently dismissed that idea as “the worst strategy I’ve ever heard.”
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said playing out the clock — hoping that Trump’s position will be diminished if the Republicans get clobbered in the November midterm elections — is not the best way to start negotiations.
“It might be a naive way to see the way Mr. Trump thinks or acts. Let’s use this opportunity to start a real negotiation,” Blanchet told reporters on Parliament Hill Thursday.
Blanchet said Canada should “not wait for something not to happen, in the hope that it will be better for us.”
— With files from Sarah Ritchie and David Baxter
3)Carney says the U.S. can’t dictate the terms of trade talks ahead of CUSMA review
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By David Baxter, April 22, 2026
Canada will not make any more concessions to the United States ahead of negotiations on the continental trade pact, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday as he insisted Washington will not be allowed to dictate the terms of the talks.
Carney was responding to a Radio-Canada report citing officials who said the Americans are imposing an “entry fee” on trade talks with Canada and are demanding concessions before negotiations begin.
“It’s not a case of the United States dictates the terms. We have a negotiation, we can come to a mutually successful outcome. It will take some time, and we will take the time,” Carney said as he arrived on Parliament Hill Wednesday.
The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement is up for mandatory review this year. Mexico and the U.S. agreed to begin formal talks on that review in January but Canada and the U.S. have not reached that point yet.
When asked directly if Canada should make any more concessions to the U.S. to get the Trump administration to the table, Carney said, “No.”
Earlier in the scrum, he said in French that Canada will seek concessions from the U.S., but will not make any concessions.
The prime minister said there are “multiple levels of contact” between Canadian and American officials and both sides have their own lists of trade irritants.
“We’ll sit down and work through those issues with the broader approach in the negotiation. We’ve made some counter-proposals … and the time will come to really roll up our sleeves,” Carney said.
United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a Capitol Hill committee Wednesday that Canada and the U.S. have different priorities on trade.
He said that while Canada is looking to build more trading relationships with international partners, the U.S. is trying to “correct for the problems of globalization.”
“Those are two models that don’t fit together very well,” Greer said.
Greer said that if Canada continues down that path, the U.S. will need to take another look at country of origin rules to ensure the U.S. is not “disadvantaged.”
Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, did not take reporters’ questions as he entered the caucus meeting Wednesday.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said being at the table with the U.S. is of “the utmost importance.”
“That, in this moment, is significant and will continue to occur until we reach a place where Canada’s interests are well protected and represented in the formal outcome,” Anand said.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, who was in Washington last week, said Wednesday Canada has made it clear that an agreement needs to be reached on U.S. sectoral tariffs on Canada’s steel, aluminum, automobiles and softwood lumber.
Janice Charette, Canada’s chief trade negotiator, said Tuesday during a panel discussion in Ottawa that Canada already has made significant concessions by dropping the digital services tax, issuing millions of dollars in refunds to tech companies and ending retaliatory tariffs.
A recent report from the Office of the United States Trade Representative identifies provinces refusing to stock American alcohol and high tariffs on some American dairy products as trade irritants.
Carney has promised to protect Canada’s supply management system for dairy, poultry and eggs during trade talks with the U.S.
John Barlow, Conservative agriculture critic, said Carney’s recent description of the current trade relationship with the U.S. as a “weakness” sent “shivers” through Canadian food producers who depend on the American market.
“You can’t just find that market somewhere else in the world. You can say, ‘Well, we need to diversify.’ That is not replaceable,” Barlow said.
Barlow said that while Canada “obviously” wants to protect supply management, it’s unwise to take it off the table in trade talks with the U.S.
“To see Mexico now on the eve of perhaps having an agreement with the United States and us on the outside, I think it would be a very bad deal if the United States and Mexico come to an agreement and then come to Canada and say, ‘Here it is, take it or leave it,'” he said.
“The key right now is to get back to the negotiating table and start those discussions as quickly as possible.”
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said it’s encouraging that the two sides say they are willing to negotiate, but negotiation requires “serious people” at the table.
“We want this to be done reasonably, so please, tell the president not to sit at this table. We’ll do that between serious people and then it will go up to Mr. Carney and Mr. Trump and a deal will be completed,” Blanchet said.
The U.S. is also pushing back against the “Buy Canadian” policy, which gives priority to Canadian products and workers on projects worth more than $25 million.
— With files from Catherine Morrison
4)Proposed power to search, seize mail not being extended to postal workers: minister
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By David Baxter, April 30, 2026
The federal government’s new proposal to allow authorities to search and seize mail would be limited only to police officers, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said.
The proposal was included in the spring economic update which was tabled in the House of Commons on Tuesday. It mimics but is not identical to the plan first proposed in bill C-2 last year.
In an interview with The Canadian Press on Wednesday, Anandasangaree said that bill was carved up into smaller bills, and the search and seizure measure was not part of those.
“So the postal matter still remained orphaned and we are quite resolved to move that forward,” Anandasangaree said.
Anandasangaree said while the original bill would have given the power to search and seize mail to government officials, including Canada Post staff, the new version limits the power to police and still requires a warrant.
The minister said the measure is meant to close a legal “loophole” that prevents any package weighing less than 500 grams from being opened and searched.
Anandasangaree said that gap is being exploited by traffickers sending small quantities of drugs, such as fentanyl, through the mail — especially in remote areas.
“So when we look at Nunavut as an example, there’s 25 plus fly-in communities. There’s really no road access. So … smaller quantities of drugs can go through the post office without any scrutiny,” he said.
The proposed mail search power is tucked away near the back of the spring economic statement, with no clear explanation of how it relates to the fiscal document.
Opposition MPs said they don’t understand why it was included.
“I don’t see so much what relates to that in the exercise of the budget. There are questions which are quite different. It’s in another bill,” Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Tuesday.
NDP Leader Avi Lewis said that while it’s “legitimate to introduce non-monetary measures,” it’s “a major legislative moment to bury a significant new power in almost the penultimate page of the document itself.
“It seems like more light should be shone on a measure like that.”
Anandasangaree said the mail search proposal fits with the broader themes of the spring economic statement putting more resources into community safety.
Bill C-2 has been stalled at second reading in the House of Commons and was last debated on Sept. 17, 2025.
Modifications to Canada’s asylum process originally introduced in Bill C-2 became law earlier this year as part of a separate bill, and new legislation to expand police access to online data and information was introduced in March.
5)Federal government needs more desk space as public servants return to office: PSPC
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Catherine Morrison, April 17, 2026
In less than three months, the federal government’s order requiring most public servants to attend the office four days a week — up from the current benchmark of three days — takes effect.
There’s just one hitch. It doesn’t have room for all of them.
Michèle LaRose, a spokesperson for Public Services and Procurement Canada, said the department’s analysis shows certain departments will need more workstations or more space in certain locations to accommodate the shift to in-office work four days a week.
LaRose said she couldn’t say which buildings are short of workstations or how many more spaces are needed.
“We are currently working with departments to define their specific operational requirements,” she said. “Because this collaborative process is still underway, we are unable to provide exact figures regarding the four-day on-site presence requirement over the next several months.”
LaRose said the department is working with other departments and agencies to find solutions by identifying underutilized space and renewing existing leases, and possibly by acquiring additional space.
“PSPC uses its operating budget to invest in maintenance, ensuring that buildings remain safe and suitable for employees as on‑site work requirements increase,” she said.
Core federal employees have been working three days in-office since September 2024, after the standard increased from two days. In March 2020, most public servants were told to work remotely as the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The new directive officially applies only to public servants working in the core departments and agencies under Treasury Board, though some separate agencies — like the Canada Revenue Agency and the National Research Council — have said they intend to follow the same approach.
Under the directive, executives in the public service will be required to be in the office full-time as of May 4.
The government says it doesn’t anticipate any problems finding space for the executives — but that’s not the case for most workers.
Since 2020, when remote work began, the public service has grown by more than 57,000 people — an increase of almost 20 per cent. Some of those staffers have never worked full-time in a federal office.
Meanwhile, Ottawa has been trying to off-load office space.
Budget 2024 committed Public Services and Procurement Canada to reducing its stock of office space by 50 per cent over 10 years through sales or leases.
The department said earlier this year that target will be adjusted to reflect the fact that public servants will be spending more time in the office.
In a recent memo to federal employees, the department said it’s keeping several co-working spaces across the country open for six months beyond March 31.
There are about a dozen such spaces, known as “GCcoworking sites,” in the National Capital Region and in cities across the country, including Dartmouth, N.S., and Vancouver. Some of those spaces opened in 2019.
The memo said one site in Gatineau, Que., is closing in June.
“This extension will help ensure decisions are informed, sustainable and aligned with the newly announced four-day in-office direction,” said the memo.
The memo said the co-working sites provide additional workspace options and are not meant to replace departmental workplaces. It said staff needing a workspace for hybrid work requirements should contact their supervisor or departmental workplace authority.
Federal unions have warned that many departments have struggled even the current three-days-a-week return-to-office rules because of a lack of space.
Public servants have said that, in some departments, employees need to book desk space a month in advance, with different staff using the same desks on different days.
Sharon DeSousa, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said in an email the union has warned from the start there isn’t enough office space or workstations to support a four-day in-office mandate.
“Under the current policy, shared desks are already fully booked in many departments,” she said.
“This is to say nothing of the deplorable state of many government buildings, where workers are dealing with workplaces infested with bedbugs, mice and even bats.”
Pests were spotted in federal buildings across the country more than 960 times between April and November 2025. Public Services and Procurement Canada said late last year the pests included — but were “not limited to” — bats, birds, ants, bedbugs, bees, wasps and other small insects, mice and other rodents.
Public Services and Procurement Canada said 58 per cent of Crown-owned office buildings were assessed as being in “fair or better condition” as of March 2025.
The department said that includes buildings undergoing major long-term rehabilitation, like Place du Portage III in Gatineau, Que., and the Lester B. Pearson Building in Ottawa.